[jlachanc]

I'm in the acoustic panel building phase and I have some sections of the room that are spec'd to remain without acoustic treatments. For aesthetic reasons, I'm still going to fabric panel these parts of the room anyway.

I'm concerned that if someone pushes on one of these panels the fabric will be stretched out. Thickness is 1" to 1.5" depending on the part of the room. I considered MDF, but wanted something lighter and easier to work with. I also considered some kind of hard Styrofoam, but I'm not sure if it would absorb high frequencies.


Does anyone have any suggests for putting non-absorbing material behind a panel, (e.g. same reflectance as drywall)?


Thanks,

Jason

 

[ScruffyHT]

Most here use cotton or polyester batting - local quilt supply store

 

[Ted White]

I found that the GOM type fabrics are really hardy. I push on mine all the time to demonstrate that my walls are weird.


Anything rigid behind the fabric as you pointed out will stay acoustically reflective. So anything would do. Cost would be my driver.


Is this a 2-channel scenario? Multi-channel usually has total wall coverage, or at least the entire lower walls.

 

[jlachanc]

Thanks, all for the quick responses.

Would not cotton or poly bat absorb some high frequencies?


The room is a 7.1 design, but is odd shaped. Our friend Terry Montlick did the acoustic modeling, so I'm just going by his directions in terms of the design.


Any suggests of material that is both rigid and light, (and not too expensive)?

 

[ScruffyHT]

Well if you wade through the acoustic sticky thread you will find that this is what *most* people use to fill in behind their panels that are not being used for absorption ... apparently there is little to no absorption with cotton/poly ... if Terry designed the room why not ask him what to use

 

[Terry Montlick]

Hi Jason,


If you are worried about fabric stretching and then sagging or bunching (which is generally a non-issue), a trick of the trade is to spray the fabric lightly with water using a spray bottle just before you stretch and staple it. Extremes in humidity can potentially cause such problems, and the spray treatment will allow it to stretch to its maximum.


Regards,

Terry

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

How about 1 inch Styrofoam insulation.

 

[In2Photos]

I would make a frame like normal but add a few braces in the middle where needed. Then throw some 1/4" Luan on top of the whole structure for rigidity. Luan is light and usually used as sub-floor material so it should be readily available in your area.

 

[Ted White]

Be careful not to create a small hollow cavity...

 

[In2Photos]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted White /forum/post/15463806


Be careful not to create a small hollow cavity...

Good point!


How would something like a mesh grille material work then since it is perforated?

 

[jlachanc]

Thanks, All for the replies. I think for now I will experiment with Ted's and others' suggestion of not doing anything and see if pushing on the fabric causes problems. I'm not so worried about humidity as Colorado is pretty dry year round. Will post results if there is anything noteworthy.

My primary area of concern is around the door where people are more likely to contact the wall accidentally.